Wednesday, 22 December 2021
A new study, led by experts at the University of Nottingham, will look at whether eating small amounts of certain nutrients before meals could improve blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
The COMBINE study, which is led by Professor Kostas Tsintzas and Dr Pardeep Pabla from the School of Medicine, is looking to recruit people with type 2 diabetes, which is controlled by dietary therapy and metformin, for the ground-breaking new study.
The team will look at whether by consuming small amounts of specific nutrients before breakfast, lunch and dinner, (known as consumption of nutritional preloads), can improve their blood glucose levels.
They will also look at whether those preloads can increase the feeling of fullness and reduce hunger, which is known as satiety.
The research is being sponsored and funded by Nestlé Health Science.
Dr Pardeep Pabla said: “Controlling blood sugar levels is vital in the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Over time, high blood sugar levels can increase the risk of developing several other diseases such as cardiovascular disease (such as heart attacks and stroke).
“We know that certain nutritional preloads can lower blood sugar levels in people who have T2D. In our exciting new study, we are investigating whether consuming two nutritional preloads (medium chain triglycerides and whey protein) can lower the levels of blood sugar after meals.
If the results from this study are encouraging, then nutritional preloads may be a potential novel strategy to delay or even prevent the use of antidiabetic medications and the progression of other adverse health conditions that often accompany diabetes.”
People who are interested in taking part will be required to visit the University of Nottingham Medical School on five occasions, have their health, dietary patterns, physical activity status and body composition assessed.
Patients who take part in the study will be given a personal glucose monitoring device (Freestyle Libre 2) for each experimental visit and will be able see how their blood sugar levels are changing throughout the day.
For more information visit this website.
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More information is available from Dr Pardeep Pabla from the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham at Pardeep.Pabla2@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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